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Special Valentine's Week Screenings ~ Two Nights Only ~ February 14 and 15: CHICO & RITA 
~ Oscar Nominee, Best Animated Feature ~
Tuesday: LIVE MUSIC & PRIX FIXE DINNER at the Carnegie before the screening. Wednesday: PRIX FIXE DINNER at Europa Bistro before the Carnegie screening. For less than the price of a dozen roses, treat yourself and a loved one to a romantic dinner and an Academy Award nominated film. |
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Essential Event Info
CHICO & RITA, February 14 & 15
Showtimes, Venue Location, Directions & Maps
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Film Tickets
Pricing, How to Purchase
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Dinner Reservations
4 Course Prix Fixe Dinner $25 per person.
Options, Menu, How to Purchase
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Download / Print the MenuLive Music before the Film
Popular chanteuse April Aloisio offers unique vocal styling in English, Spanish and Portuguese, joined by Phil Burkhead on the grand piano.
Live at the Carnegie, Tuesday only.
Read more about April...
Read more about Phil...
§> TRAILER <§
or tune in Sunday morning Feb 12, circa 7:30 am to hear Larry's review.
~ A.O. Scott, The New York Times
An epic animated story of love, heartbreak and reunion that celebrates the culture and music of Cuba, Chico & Rita is a feast for the senses:
- An evocative, tempestuous love story with a happy ending.
- Definitive moments in the history of jazz and Latin music.
- Lush, sensual visuals with dreamily stylized characters set against the highly detailed color and bustle of Havana, New York, Paris and Las Vegas in the late 1940s and early '50s.
- A cultural snapshot of pre- and post-revolutionary Cuba and times in the U.S. when segregation impacted the lives and careers of people of color — from abroad as well as at home.
The Story
In Chico & Rita, a gifted songwriter and beautiful singer chase their dreams - and each other - from Havana to New York to Paris and to Las Vegas. This classic love story unfolds in the tradition of a Cuban bolero, as we witness their shared love of music, romantic passion and moments of triumph as well as their heartache and separation.
Told via flashback, the story begins in Havana, 1948. Chico is a young Cuban songwriter and pianist who dreams of making a place for himself in the jazz world. Rita is a beautiful singer with a captivating voice. Music brings them together and they embark on a passionate and tormented love affair. Separately, and together, over the decades they move through the music scene in Cuba and the U.S., performing with many of the luminaries in the jazz world.
While the story line is conventional - love found, lost and regained - the look and the mood of the era are exquisitely captured with a convincing depiction of real people and attitudes of the period. That uniqueness is refreshing. The atmosphere, street scenes, and even the fashions are evocative and the production gives us the leisurely, deliberate pace of natural people. Even the sound effects are spot on, from the way the piano tones echo through a room to footsteps across a floor to the sounds of traffic outside a window, everything has the feel of real life. And, the music is the common thread and a crowning touch. It all comes together beautifully, creating a nostalgic, emotional and memorable experience!
The Music
The film is a love letter to a bygone era made by filmmakers who truly appreciate Latin jazz, and the compositions are sumptuous. With the emergence of Latin jazz and its adoption in New York and elsewhere as a parallel theme to the love story, we're immersed in the world of Cuban passion, sensuality and music.
While Chico & Rita is a work of fiction, well-known artists Woody Herman, Tito Puente, Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker and Nat King Cole all make appearances, and we also hear the music of Cole Porter and Thelonious Monk. These people give the story a historical foundation. Chano Pozo, a conga player in Gillespie's band, also has a cameo and his untimely death becomes a minor plot point.
Cuban composer and pianist Bebo Valdés wrote the score and plays on the soundtrack as Chico. The movie, which contains parts of his own life, is formally dedicated to him. Idania Valdés (no relation) provides Rita's singing voice. Her performance of Bésame Mucho is one of many standouts.
